Chris McClarney: "No matter what my circumstances might be right now, however big or small, and no matter how unresponsive He might seem, God is still in control and He will work everything out for my good"

A worshipper dedicated to drawing the eyes, heart and minds of the church toward its heavenly Father, Chris McClarney’s first full-length studio album, Defender, is now in stores. Packed with songs inspired by real life, lessons learned and the truth of Scripture, McClarney delivers this collection of soulful modern worship as a triumphant proclamation that God’s got his sleeves rolled up and He’s working it all out for our good--even if we can’t see it.

Chris caught the attention of the Redding, California-based Jesus Culture youth movement. An “army” of believers in the movement has adopted McClarney’s “Your Love Never Fails” as its theme song. An “overnight” sensation after having led worship for 15-years, McClarney has spent the last six years at Grace Center church in Franklin, TN. He resides in nearby Nashville, TN with his wife Jasmine, and two small daughters.

Defender is the new full-length album by Chris and if you like soulful and message-driven songs, then you should enjoy this collection of songs. The collection begins with “Your Love Never Fails,” which I love to sing with fellow believers. The song is a great worship anthem with the bridge “All things work together for my good” which is framed by the biblical Truth, “I know that You love me, Your love never fails.” I really enjoy this song and keep playing it over and over. The song is sung weekly in church services and concert settings worldwide, and is a "simple song of gratitude" and a powerful message of God’s unwavering faithfulness.

“That whole Job story is often misunderstood,” McClarney shares in relation to the song and just a few short days after flood waters ravaged thousands of homes in Nashville. “God didn’t do bad things to Job. All the horrible things: floods, Katrina, earthquakes, economic fallout, oil spills...God has not forgotten us. He’s not mad at us. He’s got great plans for us. His love and grace are endless.”

I got the chance to interview Chris about “Your Love Never Fails," and he expanded on the inspiration behind the song.

Please tell me the personal story behind writing this song.

One night at church, I began spontaneously singing this line during worship: “All things work together for my good. You make all things work together for my good.” For more than an hour it continued. Not so much because I felt God needed to hear it repeated, but because I needed to convince myself that no matter what my circumstances might be right now, however big or small, and no matter how unresponsive He might seem, God is still in control. In fact, He will work everything out for my good. There is something very effective about proclaiming truth out loud until you believe what you’re saying. I couldn’t escape the lyric, and eventually I thought it prudent enough to craft the myriad of connected internal convictions into an actual song.

I had a friend going through a tough time and I remember I told him about the passage from Romans 8:28 that says “all things work together for good,” and I realized that I needed to hear those words for myself. I needed to decide if I really believed those words. That’s what led to the writing the song “Your Love Never Fails.”

Please tell me about any Bible verses that you used to write the song.

Romans 8:28: "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

What do you consider to be the take-away message for listeners?

This song is a simple song of gratitude to my unfailing Savior, and a repeatable self-reminder of his faithfulness. Every believer daily faces an unrelenting onslaught of circumstances and situations that challenge our faith. Many of us are currently facing an immediate, dire need for God to come through in a big way. The truth: God has not forgotten you, He is closer than you could ever imagine, He is still the same today as yesterday, and His ultimate goal is “that you might have life, and life abundantly.” Your trial will eventually work for your good, too. It may not happen in your time frame, or in the way you expected, but love will prevail--love never fails. I made a decision that I need to believe those words. I know that the Bible is absolutely true, and I need to choose to believe in God before I can see how all things will work together for good.

Verse 1:
Nothing can separate
Even if I ran away
Your love never fails

I know I still make mistakes
But, You have new mercy for me everyday
Your love never fails

Chorus:
You stay the same through the ages
Your love never changes
There may be pain in the night
but joy comes with the morning

And when the oceans rage
I don't have to be afraid
Because I know that You love me
Your love never fails

Verse 2:
The wind is strong and the water's deep
But, I'm not alone here in these open seas
Cause Your love never fails

The chasm was far too wide
I never thought I'd reach the other side
But Your love never fails

Thank You Jesus, thank You Jesus, ooh

Bridge:
You make all things work together for my good

Here’s what Charles Spurgeon says about Romans 8:28 in his Morning and Evening Devotional on August 5th, which I studied as I was writing this devotional.

Upon some points a believer is absolutely sure. He knows too that God is always wise, and knowing this, he is confident that there can be no accidents, no mistakes; that nothing can occur which ought not to arise. He can say, “If I should lose all I have, it is better that I should lose than have, if God so wills: the worst calamity is the wisest and the kindest thing that could befall to me if God ordains it.” We know that all things work together for good to them that love God. The Christian does not merely hold this as a theory, but he knows it as a matter of fact.

God doesn’t make bad things happen to us. He came to give us life and to live with Him eternally by trusting in Jesus alone for our salvation. God is bigger than any tragedy we may have experienced in this world. His love never fails! Thank You Jesus!

in else

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Posted August 10, 2010 | Kevin Davis is a long time fan of Christian music, an avid music collector and credits the message of Christian music for leading him to Christ. Kevin also writes reviews for ChristianMusicReview.org. He currently lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and three daughters.

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